Beaches – self indulgent

[erastes]

With a gap, where I spent about five or so years or so living in London, and two years in Leitrim – I’ve always lived near the sea.  I get jumpy and claustrophobic when I don’t.  I would like to live nearer though, nearer than I do.  It’s only about four miles from here, but I like the sound of gulls, and it’s only when they come inland, like they did this morning, that I realise how much I miss their call.  I was in Lowestoft a week or so ago and the garage was right on the quay with gulls everywhere. It was bliss.

Photos under the cut.

This is where I spent my childhood – Westcliff-on-Sea.  The sea was full of sewage back then, but we didn’t care. The crabs obviously did well on it, and the cockles!

My teenage years were spent here:Thorpe Bay beach, a little more upmarket and further to the east.

I lived in Bournemouth for about ten years, although I tended to avoid the beaches when they looked like this:

and would seek out the quieter ones like this, in Purbeck.

And now I live in Norfolk, where – although the sea is bloody freezing – the beaches are fabulous (and REAL, unlike Essex, where they import a lot of the sand for the main beaches)

Here’s Holkham Beach, which is probably most famous for the end scene in “Shakespeare in Love”

And here’s Caister, which is nearest to me. Yeah, a little scruffy and neglected, but I love it.

I think it’s partly about water. I can put up with living inland if I’m near water. My friend Ottilie says the same, and she regularly runs back to Southend to recharge.  If one day I earn enough to be able to afford a home elsewhere I’d spend it on something within walking distance to the beach.

Comments

[lyras.livejournal.com]

I agree with this, totally. There's something so soothing about being near water, especially the sea. And those beaches are beautiful (apart from the busy one!).

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I have never understood anyone who wants to sit on a beach like that - when I was a kid we didn't have a choice, you found a spot, put your towel down and tried to ignore everyone else, but as soon as we had a car we'd seek out a bit of quiet.

[probodie.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with you - I'm a water babe myself and love nothing better than sitting and watching/listening to the ocean. Found the perfect holiday cottage in Cornwall for doing just this.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I love cornwall away from the crowds but it's all got a bit too drop-out for my liking now. But it's so pretty.

[joannesopercook.livejournal.com]

I like the scruffy, neglected one best - but then, I'm the product of a raw, savage landscape. Things that look too civilised or "done" tend to put me off. :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, I hate the beaches that are tractor combed. Caister (and the whole stretch of coast between Yarmouth and Skegness is nicely raw.

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

I love these!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) I rarely do a personal post.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

My parents lived in Westcliff when they first got married.

I've never lived near the sea but it's grand to be close enough to visit.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yay! Westcliff! I haven't been back there for about 15 years and wouldn't want to now, I bet it's changed too much.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

We went back once, but the house they had lived in had been demolished - as was pretty likely since they lived there in about 1950. But it was still sad. Going back to a place filled with happy memories is a bit of a mine field.

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

We're about 10 mile from the coast. I love gulls too. I want to stroke their heads but would probably get my hand bitten off.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

They prefer chips to fingers, but they'll take fingers if there are no chips.

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Ahaha yes. we usually put the remains of fish n chips on the wall beside the priory and watch them swoop down for tea.

[ammonite7.livejournal.com]

I want to visit Britain so bad. My Mom was from there, and I have this thing about English history.

We used to live in northern California where there are fantastic beaches and cold, non-swimmable water, only got tired of the morning fog and BMW traffic. We now live between high mountains and desert, but miss the water, so every spring we go to Mexico or Central America and lie on the sand and swim.

Your pics are wonderful and make me miss those places.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well the water is bloody freezing here too! :)

[markprobst.livejournal.com]

I'm so disappointed. I thought this post was going to be about Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey! ;)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh you BIG GAY MAN!!!!!

[aunty_marion]

I've only been to Great Yarmouth once on holiday... but one of the best holidays we had was in Lincolnshire, at a place called Anderby Creek, which consisted of a shop, a church, three houses, a caravan park and some holiday cottages. We walked out of the back door, across the 'garden', through the gate, over the sand dune behind it, and were on the beach. (And it had hedgehogs at night, for an added bonus!)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Lincolnshire has some of the most unappreciated and lovely beaches!

[spindriftdancer.livejournal.com]

I understand completely. My beaches are fresh water, and have more rock... and the occasional bear, wolf, or cougar... but they're all water (:

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Sounds lovely!

[spindriftdancer.livejournal.com]

Goodness, yes. I wish I could stay there forever.

*sigh*

[asphodeline.livejournal.com]

Beautiful pictures. I desperately want to live by the sea - I am determined to do so one day!!

[suryaofvulcan.livejournal.com]

::late replying - just back from holidays::

I lived on Guensey in the Channel Islands for nearly 5 years - beautiful little hidden beaches and coves all over the place. It wasn't until I went back to Scotland for a vist that I realised how much I missed landscape. Everywhere you looked on Guernsey was seascape - the island is only 9 miles along its longest edge. There's something to be said for sitting on top of a hill and seeing a city laid out beneath you, and across the firth to rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.